The annual music summit at Clarke Quay started last night with a bang, although not the full-blown hype that I have witnessed last year, it was still pretty amazing considering it was merely the first night. For fans that have attended Music Matters over the previous years, this year’s Music Matters is pretty much about the same — same venue, same layout, familiar bands and good music. For newcomers though, it might get a little overwhelming. “So many bands, so many venues, all at the same time?!”

Having so many different locations and acts happening at the same time can get a little disorientating. However, that’s all part of the charm of Music Matters! Once you’ve got the hang of it, we’re certain you’ll have a banging great time. To help you survive the jam-packed schedule and to make the most out of it, here at The Fifth Parlour, we’ll share with you how our first day of Music Matters went!

First things first, plan your route!

You can grab a copy of the event booklet at the help desk located at the side of the fountain stage. In the booklet, there will be a comprehensive list of the acts that will be performing throughout the course of the event and a map of Clarke Quay with location of the venues numbered at the first few pages. It is important to plan your route beforehand so you don’t find yourself stuck in the crowd en route to the next showcase or getting lost and missing out the entire set.

We started off our night by catching Courtney Conway‘s showcase at Crazy Elephant. The Western Australian country girl sang her popular tunes such as “Girly Girl” and was a great start to the night.

Courtney Conway performing with her band

Afterwards, we hopped over next door and got to catch Taiwanese indie-rock band, Echo, at China One. Due to technical difficulties, the band started out playing later than scheduled. This later dragged on to the other acts performing at the bar later that night as we caught another Taiwanese band, io. Despite the mishaps, the Taiwanese lads of both bands delivered solid performances and took the delays with stride. We enjoyed Echo’s performance with their resident head-banger spicing up the mix and how the lead singer of io showed us some of his dance moves. These boys are definitely some eye-candy not to be missed.

Echo

io

While roaming around Clarke Quay, we heard a melodic singing from McGettigan and decided to hop into the bar to check it out. There, we discovered Filipino indie band, Fairwell Fair Weather.

Fairwell Fair Weather

Back at Crazy Elephant, we managed to catch the last few minutes of Morgan Bain‘s showcase as he wrapped up. We loved how he interacted with the audience during and after the showcase and were mind-blown by his style of music — an eclectic mix of soul, funk, blue and rock. The Aussie boy’s good looks and beautiful locks of curly hair are an added bonus too.

Morgan Bain

The Buckman Coe Trio took the stage next and delivered an impressive performance. Sporting dreadlocks and a loose singlet, Buckman leads the team and transported us to a place of peace, back to our roots and one with Mother nature, with his soulful reggae tunes. We enjoyed how each member played an integral role in the performance with their little instrument solos and how they were all grooving to the music!

The Buckman Coe Trio

We also caught our very own local act, Linying, spicing up the music scene at China One: Baize Bar Stage. We watched in awe as the talented lady meddled with her laptop, played with her keyboard and mesmerising us with her smooth vocals. We were one of the privileged few to listen to her perform one of her newest songs, something written only a couple of weeks ago!

Linying

Take note that the schedule on the booklet were accurate at the time of print, and there may be changes to the performing list due to unforeseen circumstances. We learned a hard lesson last night on that last night, missing out on French band, Manceau. As their schedule got pushed forward, we arrived at the venue only to see the next band setting up. So always be sure to check out the latest schedule at the Music Matters website, www.musicmatterslive.com.

Other things to take note of:

1) Drink up! As the prices of the drinks can get quite steep, we recommend you to bring along your own water bottles. Nothing can be more dampening than to feel light-headed or faint at your favourite act’s showcase. Besides, the night is long! Keeping yourself hydrated is of utmost importance to be able to enjoy the night fully.

2) Wear comfortable shoes! Although there will be seats at the bars, it may get too packed and you’ll have to stand. Remember — there are not only music lovers there but customers visiting the bar as well!

3) If you’re facing difficulties in planning out your route still, or you are terrible with navigation (like me), why not check out the various country specific line-ups Music Matters has in store? These showcases will be held at one location, and focuses on music from just one country/genre. Apart than saving you the trouble of getting lost when you’re out searching for the next bar, it allows you to filter the type of music of your preference. Check out our detailed post on that here.

We wish you guys all the best at Music Matters 2015. Have fun!